[Greek blennos, mucus, and sperma, seed, alluding to cypselae becoming mucilaginous when wetted]

John L. Strother

Annuals, 3–12(–30) cm (taprooted). Stems usually 1, erect (usually branched ± throughout). Leaves (sometimes ± fleshy) basal and cauline; alternate; mostly sessile; blades pinnately nerved, linear (or pinnately divided into 2–15 linear lobes), ultimate margins entire, faces glabrous or sparsely floccose-tomentose. Heads radiate, borne singly. Involucres ± hemispheric, 3–6+ mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 5–13+ in ± 2 series, ± erect (inflexed in late flowering, reflexed in fruit), basally connate, elliptic to ovate, subequal, ± membranous (veiny, tips usually purple). Receptacles flat to convex, smooth or foveolate, epaleate. Ray florets 5–13+, pistillate (sometimes, some pistillate florets lack corollas); corollas sessile (lacking tubes), usually yellow, rarely white (often purplish abaxially, laminae ovate to linear). Disc florets 20–60(–100+), functionally staminate; corollas yellow, tubes shorter to longer than campanulate throats; lobes 5, ± erect, deltate to lanceolate; styles not divided. Cypselae ± ellipsoid, usually 5–6(–10)-ribbed or -angled, usually papillate (papillae becoming mucilaginous when wetted); pappi 0. x = 9.

Species 3 (2 in the flora): California, South America (Chile).

SELECTED REFERENCE

Ornduff, R. 1964. Biosystematics of Blennosperma (Compositae). Brittonia 16: 289–295.

Lower Taxa

• Blennosperma bakeri Heiser
• Blennosperma nanum (Hooker) S. F. Blake
• Blennosperma nanum var. nanum
• Blennosperma nanum var. robustum J. T. Howell